United Kingdom, April 7 -- Halle Bailey learned to "block out the noise" following the racist backlash to her casting in The Little Mermaid.

The 26-year-old actress was subjected to a barrage of online criticism after being cast as the lead in the 2023 reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, but Halle is adamant she didn't let the negativity ruin her experience and it taught her some valuable lessons.

She told The Independent newspaper: "[It was] a beautiful experience for me - and I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learnt how to block out the noise ...

"How do I explain it ... It was actually freeing to be in the middle of this conversation where so many different opinions were comi...